A Ride With The Devil Is Never Free
by queenofomega
Summary: MCU. Pre-TWS. Strike Team: Delta has been separated and the Black Widow has a new partner. Captain America is about to face the world with new eyes. A double agent, a sinking ship, abduction, and trust issues... their first mission together is not what they had planned. [Steve/Nat friendship, possible romance.]
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

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><p><em>"When you come back you will not be you, and I will not be I." — E.M. Forster<em>

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><p>They were coming down the ramp of the quinjet when Natasha finally exploded at him. Well, when Natasha Romanoff was concerned, an 'explosion' was really just a rare show of exceptional irritation. Nonetheless, Clint Barton gave the Russian assassin a wide berth, just in case she suddenly felt it necessary to hit him.<p>

"C4? What the hell were you thinking?"

"It was a backup plan and, in case you didn't notice, it worked!"

"But C4? Where did you even _get it_?"

"I, uh—"

Thankfully, Clint was saved from having to answer that question by Maria Hill, who was jogging toward them across the hangar bay. She regarded the pair politely but her expression was otherwise exasperated and she looked as if she had just been pulled from something very important just to come to speak to them.

"Fury wants you in his office." She looked pointedly at them both. "Now."

"What? We don't even get a shower fir—"

"_Now_."

A nudge from Natasha kept Clint from arguing any further. She grabbed his elbow and tugged him along, although she knew he would be at her side regardless of his complaints. About halfway to Fury's office, she dropped his arm, giving him a sidelong glance. She was worried, Clint could tell. One look was all he needed. To anyone else it would look as if she were giving him the same cold, stony look she gave everyone. But he saw the way her lips pressed together slightly and knew she was biting her lower lip. It was one of her very few tells.

Fury rarely called them for an immediate debrief. He generally respected his agents' wishes to at least clean up after a long mission and, honestly, it was more likely that he just didn't want them tracking in dirt all over his office floor. The man did have standards after all.

The agents continued down another hallway then up an elevator. They were currently operating out of the Triskelion in D.C., which was a labyrinth of its own design. When they stepped off the elevator, Natasha was surprised to see Steve Rogers — more colloquially known as Captain America — standing out in the hallway next to Fury's office.

"Rogers," she greeted, giving him a sideways look that clearly said 'what are you doing here?'.

"Ma'am." Steve just shrugged in response. He made no move to enter the office before he was summoned.

Natasha just brushed it off and didn't even bother to knock before stepping into Fury's office. Clint followed close behind, giving Steve a curious look before closing the door behind him. Natasha Romanoff and Maria Hill were probably two of the only agents who could burst into Fury's office without reprimand. Even Clint wouldn't have dared. But as long as Natasha's face was the first one to come through that door, they were safe.

"Agents Barton, Romanoff."

Fury was barely looking at them but nodded to the chairs in front of his desk, indicating for them to sit. When there was no movement, he looked up fully and then took in the state of his two agents, covered in dirt and who knew what else. He just made a quiet 'hmph' of agreement. Best they not soil the upholstery. He stood, clasping his hands behind his back as he did so. He stared at his agents for a moment longer, his one visible eye void of any emotion although he was clearly thinking very hard about something. Then he spoke:

"Effective immediately, I am splitting up Strike Team: Delta."

As expected, his words were met with cries of outrage. Well, several cries of outrage that came from Clint Barton exclusively.

"Sir, if this is about the C4, I can explain—"

"What the hell are you talking about, Barton? You know what? I don't want to know. Put it in your report."

Natasha just seemed to eye Fury critically. She was trying to work out why he would make such a decision and why so suddenly. But Fury knew her too well. She was seething inside — being separated from her long-time partner right after they had picked up the pieces from New York together would not be taken well. But she would come around faster than Barton.

"Sir, are we allowed to know why?"

Her tone was clipped but polite. Fury supposed they deserved an explanation. After all, they were his best. And the decision had not been made lightly. But things around S.H.I.E.L.D. were changing and this was only the first of many.

"Let it be known, I am not disbanding Strike Team: Delta permanently. For highly classified and covert missions, you will continue as you always have. I need my best. But, that said, I can no longer afford to have the two of you paired together constantly."

He paused. When there was no interruption — even Barton was holding his tongue — he opted to continue on.

"You _are _my best. And after the battle of New York, we've needed our best checking around every corner to ensure nothing like that happens again. I'm wasting resources by partnering you up on missions that either of you could handle solo. Whether you like it or not, you're both needed elsewhere, separately. Besides, both of you have worked solo before. This won't come as anything new to you."

"Sir, with all due respect—" Fury just raised an eyebrow and Clint glowered. Natasha seemed to pick up on the rising tension in the room almost before it began and put her hand on the back of Clint's elbow again, her light touch a signal for him to stop. Clint looked incredulous, turning to his partner in dismay. "Nat, come on, you know we work better as a team."

"Fury's right," she stated with a shrug. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has been changing around us. It's not a real surprise that this is the next step."

"Nat—"

"Agent Romanoff is right, Barton. And it's a done deal. I need both your talents and I need them in different places at the same time."

Natasha seemed satisfied with Fury's reasoning and that he had expected from her. From Barton, he had expected exactly what he was getting — a glare that could shake the knees of any regular citizen. A regular citizen, however, Nicholas J. Fury was not.

"Agent Barton, you're dismissed. I'll need you for a debrief at 1700 hours where we can discuss your new assignment from there. I need Agent Romanoff for a little while longer."

Clint looked ready to say something out of line but one look from Natasha was enough to make him sigh, shake his head, and turn toward the door.

"Come find me later, Nat."

She nodded.

As Clint made his way out of the office, he was intercepted by Maria Hill, who had been just about to knock on the door. She cleared her throat, stepping out of the way to let Clint pass, then poked her head into the room.

"How did it go, sir?"

"As well as I'd expected. Better maybe. You can send Rogers in now."

Maria's head disappeared back into the hallway and the door re-opened to reveal Steve Rogers, dressed in casual attire with a motorbike helmet slung under his arm. He looked between Fury and Natasha, brow furrowing, then glanced behind him toward the door Clint had just passed through, still visibly irritated.

"You called me in, sir?"

"Yes, Rogers, take a seat. Romanoff… just stay where you are."

Steve looked between them and the chair and after a lingering glance in Natasha's direction, he shook his head.

"If it's all the same, sir, if Agent Romanoff will be standing, I'd prefer to stand too."

Fury could have sworn he saw Natasha's lips twitch with amusement but the look she shot Rogers was still completely neutral. Steve's dated way around women was certainly nothing to balk at but it was just that — polite yet dated. Fury cleared his throat, trying to get the attention of the two other occupants of the room back on him. Both sets of eyes were on him in seconds.

"I'm well aware you and Captain Rogers have been acquainted, if only for a short time," Fury said, looking at Natasha. Then he looked over at Steve. "You'll be partnered with Agent Romanoff for the next little while. I'll admit, I've been holding you back since New York. It's not every day you're dealing with a man out of time. But now it's time to really put you out in the field, test your skills in the real world. A lot of it is still new to you and, as you've seen, a lot has changed. Romanoff can catch you up. No one understands how the world works like she does."

There was a dark undertone to Fury's words and Steve glanced over at Natasha. Her face was an impenetrable mask, void of all emotion. He sighed; he had a feeling he was going to be dealing with a lot of that. There was a long silence before Steve finally spoke up again.

"Sir?" He wondered if there was anything else the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted from them.

A small 'hmph' could be heard then Fury straightened his long coat and looked back at the red-haired agent standing across from him.

"Romanoff, debrief at o'-eight-hundred. Bring Rogers with you. We'll be discussing the specifics of your next assignment. Until then… take a shower. Meet Rogers in the cafeteria. Might be good for you two to re-acquaint yourselves."

With that, it was clear they were both dismissed.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I like to keep these brief because I believe author's notes distract from the story and insert myself where I should not be. If I am doing my job right and writing well, I should not need to clarify anything this way. However, I would like to clarify a couple of things from the start because the summaries are not near long enough and I feel like this is more of a disclaimer than anything. This takes place in the MCU, using references from the movies, director's commentaries, writer's commentaries, and historical sources. Seriously, I have five pages of notes taken from The Winter Soldier commentary alone. That being said, while I try to stay close to the portrayal of the characters in the films, as written by those working within the MCU, I do reserve the right to incorporate my own headcanons or some comic canon to fill in the blanks not yet revealed in the cinematic universe. This story will be my version of what happened between The Avengers and CA:TWS and how Steve and Natasha came to be partners and friends. I am working my way towards romance but it will be slow. That is your only warning.

Now that the heavy stuff is out of the way, thank you for reading this little teaser of what's to come and please favourite, follow, or review because that's what keeps me going.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

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><p><em>"We know what we are, but not what we may be." — William Shakespeare<em>

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><p>Steve sat in the cafeteria, trying not to look somewhat intimidated by the stares he was getting. The whispers of "Captain America" and "is that Captain Rogers?" kept interrupting his meal and he was having a hard time tuning them out. He was not unfamiliar with S.H.I.E.L.D. and its bases and a few personnel but others were not as familiar with him — or, more correctly, his presence. He was a national icon. Everyone knew who he was. And it still made him somewhat uncomfortable.<p>

Steve Rogers was not always Captain America. Once in awhile, he put on the suit and the cowl but the rest of the time he was just that skinny kid from Brooklyn who was just… not so skinny anymore. When he had been in Germany, he had been Captain America. When he was in New York, seventy years later, he was Captain America. But right now, sitting in this cafeteria, he was just Steve Rogers, even if he didn't quite know who that was in this day and age. But no matter what year it was, Steve Rogers just wanted to eat in peace.

He sighed, knowing that was not going to happen any time soon. He straightened his shoulders, looked around, and gave polite nods to everyone that was staring. He didn't blame them. He was sure that if he had seen an icon of his day, he might have reacted the same way at one time. It was just different being on the receiving end.

Thankfully, there was a hush that came over the cafeteria when someone else walked in. Steve glanced toward the door and couldn't help the small smile that came after. Natasha Romanoff had a way of making her presence known without having to do anything except step over the threshold. The chatter resumed but the lull had been obvious. She inspired awe when she walked into a room and, if Steve was honest with himself, a little bit of terror as well.

She spotted him immediately and crossed the cafeteria, plopping down across from him casually. Her hair was still damp and loosely curling around her shoulders after her shower. Steve noted she seemed happier after washing off all the dirt and grime. Well, he couldn't really tell but he had a feeling that was the case. After all, that's how he would have felt.

"So, Rogers, ready to play with the big kids again?"

Natasha was teasing him. Steve felt a sudden heat reach his ears which were undoubtedly turning slightly pink.

"I heard S.H.I.E.L.D.'s been bringing you up to speed on all the latest tricks of the trade. Even got you out on a few lower level missions. Protocol makes you jump through a few hoops to get back into the game, even if you don't really need to."

Steve raised his eyebrows. Had that been a compliment? Natasha revealed nothing as she picked a carrot stick off of his tray and started nibbling on it across from him.

"Yes, ma'am," he responded after a moment. "Moved here to D.C. and spent the last year brushing up on my skills. Back during the war they just plucked us off the streets and gave us a few months of training before shipping us out. This was a bit more… in depth."

Even though the super soldier serum had taken him from a scrawny kid to the man he was now, Steve had never been trained with such… finesse. During the war, there just simply hadn't been the time. But now, it seemed like he had all the time in the world and Fury had been more than eager to push Steve to even greater limits. Steve had to admit, it had been beneficial.

"Well, we'll see how you like working on a proper mission rather than just doing recruit work. I'd imagine you were running circles around the recruits on your first day... literally," Natasha commented, still chewing on her carrot stick.

Steve did have to laugh at that. "I think Fury was just trying to show me the ropes. He knows what I can do now and, yeah, those missions were a little boring."

Natasha gave him a ghost of a smile. Then she nodded, clearly satisfied with something Steve was not quite privy to. She finished off the carrot in one last bite and snagged another off of Steve's tray before standing again.

"Well, I have paperwork to start. Don't think _that's _recruit work. The higher up the ladder you go, the more it's thrown at you." Natasha turned to leave before stopping in her tracks, as if she had just remembered something.

"Oh, and Rogers? Call me ma'am again and it'll be the last thing you ever say."

What truly terrified Steve was that he could not tell if she was joking or not.

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><p>Clint found Natasha as she was on her way back to her quarters to get started on that paperwork she had told Steve about. He fell into step beside her and Natasha could feel his eyes on her the entire time.<p>

The walk down the corridor was a silent one.

When they turned a corner, Natasha finally sighed and turned to face her partner —correction: former partner, not that Natasha felt she could ever call him that.

"What?"

Clint frowned.

"So that's it? We're done? No attempts to get Fury to change his mind? I mean I couldn't convince him but he listens to you, Nat," Clint spat, clearly irritated.

Natasha knew he wasn't irritated at her. He was angry with Fury, angry with the whole situation. They had been blindsided by it and it didn't sit well with Natasha but she understood why Fury had made the decision he had.

"There's nothing else to do, Clint. Fury has his reasons."

Clint groaned, then kicked at the wall half-heartedly.

"Is that all you care about, Natasha? What Fury says and what he thinks? What about us? What about all we've been through—" He stopped, looking away. Natasha had helped put him back together again. They needed one another, even if neither of them would admit it.

"Dammit, Nat, why do you always have to be right?"

Natasha smirked. It was true, she usually was. Clint just raised an eyebrow at her expression. Of course she would be smug at a time like this. He just rolled his eyes.

"I know, we can do more good apart than together. I guess I just got used to having you watching my back all the time," he admitted.

Natasha nodded. She understood perfectly. When they had first met, she never would have thought she'd come to enjoy having him as her partner. She always worked alone but nowadays? She used to think trust was a weakness that only led to betrayal. Clint had proven her wrong.

"Clint, it'll be good for you to get back out there on your own. You don't need me, you never have." They looked at one another. He knew she meant in the field. The rest? Well, they left that unsaid.

"Yeah… I guess so." He paused, then huffed with amusement. "So Captain America, huh? I know he's good — he's probably one of the best out there with that serum. But he's a soldier, not a spy. What do you think Fury has planned, putting you two together?"

Natasha shrugged. "Fury seems to think I'm the best person to show Rogers the world as it is, rather than as it was."

A loud snort. "Cynical."

"But probably true."

Clint and Natasha were like two sides of the same coin. They knew one another, they could read each other like no one else could. They were a perfect match — perhaps too perfect. As Fury had said, their talents were needed elsewhere. They would benefit S.H.I.E.L.D. more if they were apart. Steve Rogers on the other hand, he was the opposite of Natasha. Where she kept secrets and lied, he valued honesty and openness. Working with him would be…

"Worried you're not up for the challenge?" Clint broke through her thoughts with a lopsided grin.

Natasha just swatted at his arm.

"Yeah right, Barton."

Clint nodded, clearly reassured that his partner would be okay. He looked at her seriously, one last time.

"Just let me be clear: if Rogers screws this up, I'll have his ass."

Natasha laughed. It was rare to hear her laugh and Clint always felt honoured that he was one of the few to hear it.

"I know you will."

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><p>Natasha found herself working through the night. Her reports were meticulous. Clint always seemed to skim over the details, so she filled in what she knew he would leave out. Like the little C4 incident. She wasn't trying to pin the blame, she just knew that Fury would be pissed when he found out and perhaps a proper explanation would placate him, though Natasha doubted it.<p>

She glanced over at the clock: 05:32.

The redhead ran a hand through her hair and put down her pen. Administration would make an electronic copy of her report later. They were slowly trying to convert everything over to digital but that seemed to be the only area where S.H.I.E.L.D. was a bit behind with the times. But, in Natasha's opinion, having hard copies was good. In their line of work, if their servers ever went down, vital information could be lost. Having hard copies lying around might make organization a pain in the ass but, in an emergency, they still had all the information they needed.

Natasha rubbed her eyes. She had gotten very little sleep during her last mission and now she had been back all of sixteen hours and she had not even bothered to rest. She pushed away the report, gently closing the folder and giving it one last lingering look before glancing at her bed.

She had an hour and a half before she needed to be awake again for her debrief with Fury and her next briefing with Rogers. Maybe two hours at most. It wasn't much but it would be enough.

She trusted Fury. More so than she trusted most people, other than Clint. If he thought this new assignment was going to work, then she would not argue. Steve Rogers had proven himself to be a capable leader and a good man. She had no reason not to like him. But she had no reason to trust him. It was just the way Natasha was programmed — there were many reasons to like someone, but trusting them was another thing entirely. Looks could be deceiving, if she was any indication herself. She snorted softly. She tried to imagine the famous Captain America as anything other than he was — loyal to his country, true to his morals, and an upstanding citizen. It was a hard picture to come up with, even for her.

She tapped her fingers against the desk, gathering her thoughts. Rogers would be a valuable agent and ally of S.H.I.E.L.D. but he was not a spy. A part of her did not want to see him drawn into the corrupt world of spies and espionage. The other part of her wondered if he would do what was necessary if the time came.

It looked like they would just have to find out at 08:00.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This chapter was highly introspective and tied together some loose ends for Clint and Natasha after the first chapter. The real story starts in chapter three. I would like to mention that I am hoping for weekly updates right now. If that changes, I will say so. Also, I would like to mention that I am interested in finding a beta writer for this story. I do a majority of the research myself but it would be nice for someone to check my spelling (I am notorious for missing typos) and look for any plot holes. Anyway, in the interest of keeping these short, please review, as it keeps me going.


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